Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-02-19
WOMEN POKER PLAYERS.
Interesting Facts About the Game
in Brooklyn.
From the BrookIyn Eagle.

rapidly growing popularity of poker
among the ladies and as a home and So
cial game is good thing, in spite OF
what some squeamish people may think
10 the contrary said Fulton street
dealer in fancy goods, who is specialist
and enthusiast on games, to me the other
day. 'lt has taken away great deal of
false glamour about the game that used
to make it very alluring to young men,
and it has given men of all ages chance
to find at home and in respectable quar-
tiers the peculiar kind Of zest and
mental excitement that they used to
find in questionable places, The
way the game keeps on increasing in
favor, too, among all classes who play
cards at all, is astonishing. 1t is only
within the past three or four years thatit
has been anything like a respectable
game. There was time when 1T was re-
garded as tit only for the slums, and any
man who was known to be addicted to it
was classed as but one remove from the
downright gambler, no matter how
straight might be his walk in other re-
spects. Now, nearly everybody who plays
cards at all plays poker, and thousands
OF ladies who used to shudder over their
rubbers of whist at the mere mention Of
the wicked game, have abandoned the
cestors for the destinations of draw. In
fact, ladies have recently come out very
strong for the game, and are now among
its most devoted patrons. Probably more
poker Is played at social parties in Brook
lyn now than all other games together.
81 have The best of reasons for knowing
something about the popularity of poker"
went on my dealer. "During the holiday
season there was no gift so popular as
a
ticularly sought after by gentlemen for a
present to their poker playing lady
friends. ] sold more than 800 of them,
and L suppose that there were half
dozen other dealers in the city who got
rid Of as many. Beside these, great
many stacks OF chips are sold every week
in fact, there is a steady trade in them
all the year round. Some of the stiffest
poker players in the city are ladies, too.
There is something about the game that
suits wOman's quickness of intuition bet
ter than any other, l think. | never
heard OF women who made any notable
successes at euchre or seven-up or sancho
pedro or any other game where good
deal Of reasoning and torethought is
required. But don't believe
there are many men in the country who
can.blutf any harder or with straighter
faces than some ladies | have seen and
all the playing done in private houses is
for merely nominal sums-penny ante,
with quarter limit or something of that
kind-but the lady players display as
keen an interest and as much skill in
struggling for pot worth 25c. as some
men would if it were worth S25, 000
Many ladies keep beautifully bound
copies of Hoyle on their 'parlor tables,
but am bound to say that a great many
mr. 10 60,
for they can give old HOyle himself points
about the game. In many cases where
people are scrupulous about keeping the
earnings they are returned at the end of
the evening, but | know not few ladies'
VINO have picked up a few quarters at the
game to add to their pin money.
1.-The other evening | was at house,
the owner of which Is a Jolly broker in
Wall street, whose wife is known to be
one OF the best entertainers in Brooklyn.
There was little social gathering of half
dozen persons. as there is at that house
nearly every evening, and a game of the
variety OF poker, which Is known in the
wild West as stud, was in progress.
The lady OF the house and her best friend
from across the street were sitting at the
game, and the others were gentlemen
friends. The betting ran pretty strong,
and every time it would come round to
a-fying with face as immovable as
marble. Finally all the gentlemen drop
ped out and watched the battle between
the two. ladies'. The game went on and
the hrst card turned up for the mis-
tress of the house was a ten spot.
Her opponent also got a ten spot,
and after looking at the card turned face
down bet IS. The lady of the house staid.
Her next card was a seven and her oppo-
hIIf hr I.a4
bet by the lady of the house. At last four
cards lay in front of each player, face up,
and one turned down. Not a pair was in
sight and every one thought each PLAYER
must have an ace in the hole. Still the
betting went on, one raising the other
regularly and without a particle Of dis
compOsure until there was $50 in the pot.
The lady from across the street threw in
$40 gold piece and the brokers' wife
smiled and called her with a check from
her husband. Silently the two turned
over the face cards. The brokers wife
had an ace and her friend a king.
"Such scenes, OF course, are very rare.
most OF the games being, as | said. for
merely tritilng amounts and only under
taken for social amusement. | heard the
other day OF lady who recently agreed
with her husband to countenance poker
parties In her house If ne would abandon
Mo Niubs Olu StuIlemdn mad lust
learned ito play himself, but he fiattered
himself that he knew as much about the
game as anybody else. With a good deal
OF apparent labor he explained the intri-
cacies of draw to his wife and his wife,s
sister VINO lives at the hotel with them
and after one or two scrub games. for
matches they started in to play penny
ante. The first hand the old
gentleman was considerably sur |
prised to see his wife lead right
out with the betting, as though abe
knew her business; but, thinking il was
the rashness OF inexperience, he kept on |
until there was 81 up aud the sister
dropped out, when he called and his wife |
put down four queens to his tens and
elevens. That put him on his guard, and |
the next time when his vile again ran
the betting up he dropped out, and his
wife once more took the pot. The next |
time the wife's sister ran the betting |
away up and he dropped out again. ON |
the next hand his wife took the bit in her |
teeth and he again laid down. When |
the old gentleman got through that night |
he found that he hadn't had hand that |
he felt he could stay in on and had lost |
about $40 to the Ladies. This sort of
thing went on Tor several nights. the |
ladies always, starting out with fierce |
betting and the htr5SuI-always getting |
frightened and dropping 90 until finally |
he got desperate, and finding four kings |
In his hand met and raised every bet that |
the ladies made, until there was |
more than $l2 on the board. AT that